The Present is Going to Hell
by themasterwaifu
Summary: Its a regular day at the office for the Gatewatch crew. However, when troubling information comes from an equally unreliable source, they'll be shaken to the core. All of that AND Jace realizes that he needs to tell Chandra the truth. How will he do when they're forced together for a couple of weeks? Part 2 of 3. Rated for language and smut.


Paperwork. Never ending paperwork. Stacks of documents that only ever grew. Splotches of ink everywhere. A waste basket full of broken quills. A now uncomfortable chair. A desk that never had enough room all of the papers. The soul crushing realization that he'd never see outside of this office again because of _that goddamn woman sitting across from me sonofabitch—_

"Oh yes, and we have the new noise ordinances drawn up. Those will need your signature at well. Actually, let me just get that now and I can bring it back to the Senate."

Lavinia slid yet another document in front of Jace and he nearly lost his shit. This had been his entire morning, her talking at him about stuff he didn't care about and then demanding he sign things. His vision was blurring out and his hand was cramped. He wanted to go back to bed and sleep for a week. Better yet, he wanted to ask Chandra to come in and 'accidentally' set the entire office on fire. Or maybe he could run away. He was sure Sorin would let him hide on Innistrad for a while…

"Look at what you did to him, Captain, you turned my Master catatonic." Zane's voice snapped him out of his musings. The boy was standing just inside the door, clad in his leathers, scowling at Lavinia. "Give him a break, won't you?"

"We're almost finished," Lavinia growled. Jace knew she hated being interrupted, and he mouthed a 'thank you' to Zane before scribbling his signature (which by this point had turned into a wavy line) and handing the document back. "Last thing, the state dinner this weekend—"

"I swear, Lavinia, if you're going to tie me to a chair again and try to teach me table manners, I cannot be held responsible for what will happen." He threw his hands up in surrender, and she rolled her eyes. "You remember last time."

"What I remember is you tipping a bowl of steaming hot soup into your lap in front of four guild masters because you couldn't sit up properly in your seat." Jace turned a bit red at that and Zane howled with laughter. "But no, that's not it."

"Then what? Can't you see my apprentice is waiting for me?" Jace gestured to the boy, who was now leaning heavily against the door frame in an attempt to stay upright. His laughter was silent, but he was shaking trying to hold it in.

"I think you should bring a date." Laviana's words came so smoothly that Zane could no longer contain himself. He fell to the floor, arms clutched around his stomach and tears streaming from his eyes. Jace's head hit the desk with an audible thump. Lavinia huffed and turned around, glaring daggers at Zane.

"And what exactly is so funny about that?" She asked, shaking her head and turning back to Jace. "You've been disappearing more and more lately. You need to show the people that there is some stability in your life. That you won't be running off too much."

"What poor sap do you think would agree to date him?!" Zane snorted, wiping his face. "I pity the woman."

"I'm so glad you find this whole thing hilariously inconceivable," Jace finally said only half sarcastically. "He makes a point though. The only people I can think of that would agree would be women who either want to jump on my dick or abuse my power. Or both. I can think of a couple who would do both." Liliana's face flashed through his mind and he shuddered. He reached for the mug of now warm ale that sat precariously perched on the corner of his desk and took a sip.

"I was going to suggest Lady Chandra, actually." In that moment, Jace discovered that choking on ale and having it almost come out one's nose was incredibly painful. "Don't be such a baby, it's a perfectly reasonable option. We know she doesn't want to… ahem _jump on your dick_ , and she's got her own title and power. And showing up with the High Priestess on your arm could sooth some doubts about your trips. After all, when the Sisterhood says jump, one must ask how high."

Jace just snorted in agreement and rested his head on his fist, staring out the one window of the office. It was raining outside; a perfect equator for his mood. He chanced a glance at Zane, certain the boy would protest. After all, didn't he say Jace didn't have a chance in a million years? His apprentice just smirked and wiped tears from his eyes. Confused, Jace turned to look properly at him. There was no way Zane could read his thoughts, but the way he looked at his master made Jace wonder for a moment is just maybe he could…

"Well Cap I guess great minds really do think alike," Zane chuckled, coming to sit in the other seat. "See I was gonna say my Ma would be a great choice for all the reasons you stated. She needs some face time as the ol' H.P. in this town. It's really a perfect solution all around."

Confused eyes narrowed to slits. They were up to something… Jace huffed stood, pulling on his cloak that he'd thrown over the back of his chair. "Please excuse me, Captain, but my apprentice and I have a long standing appointment." With one final nod to her, he swept out of the room in a flurry of blue fabric.

As soon as Jace was out of the room, Zane gave Lavinia a quick high five. He punched the air in silent victory and quickly followed after his master. Jace was headed to the front door, and Zane smirked. Totally predictable.

"Ma's in her shop!" Zane called after him. "Said she'd be there all day!" Jace didn't seem to slow down, so Zane caught up. Like his master, he cast a quick spell to deflect the rain. "I can come with you if you want. Ya know, just for moral support. I know it must be difficult, it's been a long time since you've asked out a lady, but don't worry, I can help. This is my mom after all. I guess I could give you a tip or two."

Zane didn't expect Jace to turn so quickly, or to be so in his face, and he almost fell over. But he didn't. "You," Jace started through gritted teeth, "will go to the arena and start your drills. I'll be there shortly."

"Just remember, goddess of fire she may be, but she's still a woman," Zane said with a sly grin. He clapped a hand on his master's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. "Give it a little charm. Honesty. She'll like it."

"Arena. Now." He shrugged off Zane's hand and stormed off into the rain. Zane just watched and his shoulder's slumped a little.

"Sure thing… Dad…" Zane sighed and pulled up his hood. He instantly felt relief as the blocking spell in the cloak took over. With one last look at the retreating form of his father, he took down the street in the opposite direction, disappearing in a shimmer of light.

* * *

If there was one thing Chandra couldn't stand, it was people that bothered her while she worked. All day long there'd been people knocking on her door, pestering her to make something for them. It seemed like no one in that god forsaken city realized that it wasn't a retail shop. They just assumed that any and all artificers were for hire. It bothered her, and she wasn't quite sure why.

The monks had given her plenty of coping mechanisms over the years. Meditation, training, journaling, taking long walks, just sit down and breathe for a minute… They were all good things, but Chandra found that making things worked far better to turn her brain off for a while. Artificing was far from a monotonous job, what with each material and piece being unique, but the techniques are all quite simple and repetitive. It was the best meditation, besides the fact it made her feel close to her long gone family. Her father had taught her everything, and she remembered how much her brother smiled whenever she made something beautiful. When she was younger she'd strived for such perfection. Now she was just tired, and her hands had gotten sloppy. While her devices were sound there wasn't a ton of aesthetic to them. They were functional and not much else. So there she was, trying to get back the instinct she'd had in her youth.

She snorted at the thought. 'In her youth'. She hadn't aged a day since her spark ignited, nor had she lost any of her physical energy or strength. But time still took its toll on her. Her mind wasn't quite what it was, being filled with a thousand years of memories. Her soul had taken a beating as well. That was the age she felt. A thousand years of hardships had left their mark that was for sure. She put down her pliers and rubbed her eyes.

Raising Zane on her own had been hard enough, but seeing him with Jace was even worse. That blank look in his eyes was heart wrenching. How she'd love to have him go into her own mind and make her forget… She shook her head violently. No, this line of thinking wasn't productive. She went back to her work with extra focus. She was so agitated that the grip on the orb she was working on was too tight. The glass ball flew from her grasp and sailed across the room. She watched in slow motion horror as it went farther and farther out of her reach. Thankfully, there was saving grace standing in the doorway. Jace caught the orb easily and smirked.

"Are you always this careless with your things?" he asked, chuckling as he handed it back to her.

"Only on special occasions," she admitted with a sheepish smile. The placed the orb gently on its stand and shook her head. "What time is it?"

"Quarter to seven," he said after a quick look at his watch.

"Already?" she snorted a laugh and took her work gloves off. "I thought it was only two or so… This is terrible; I'm turning into you."

"There are worse things I'm sure," he muttered, rolling his eyes. He started looking around at what he was sure was organized chaos for her, but to his eyes it was just a mess. Not to mention the fact that he wasn't sure what he was looking at half the time. The tools and materials were completely foreign to him, including whatever it was she was making with them. There were what looked like half-finished projects all over the workshop that he couldn't begin to fathom why they were abandoned. He figured it must have been a functional issue because they all looked beautiful. He shook himself out of his musings and tried to get back on task. He was there on a mission, after all. "You busy this weekend?"

"All I have planned to do is bang my head against the wall with these things." She gestured broadly to the scattered projects. There were a couple she could finish with a few good solid hours of work that might fetch a nice price at auction. Zane's birthday was coming up and she wanted to get him something special this year. "Why? Are you gonna suggest something a little less mind numbing?"

"There's that state dinner Saturday night."

"I said _less_ mind numbing."

Jace could only give her a 'yeah I know' look. He leaned against her workbench, crossing his arms and sighing deeply. "I wanted to know if you would be interested in coming with me… As my date."

Chandra wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry. On the one hand, she'd been longing for something like this for ages. On the other, the look on his face and the shy tone in his voice was just too darn cute. However, she knew he'd never ask her of his own volition, after all he ignored her existence most of the time. There was something more going on.

"Are you asking Chandra or are you asking the High Priestess?" she droned, keeping her expression as flat as possible. But she couldn't keep the tinge of hurt out of her voice. "Because you know one of them can't refuse."

He had to stop himself from face-palming. Of course, the High Priestess was obligated to accept any and all social invitations. How could he have forgotten? "I'm asking Chandra," he stated firmly, making her jolt ever so slightly. If he was anyone else he would have missed it. "Would you be my date? I can't promise any stimulating conversation. But there will be good food, and decent music, and we can telepathically make fun of as many nobles and officials as we want. Then maybe go to a bar, get wasted, stumble home and sleep for a week. How's that sound?" _Stumble home, rip your dress off and ravish you till morn—_

"Well when you sell it so wonderfully, how can I refuse?" Her words were dripping with sarcasm and they both had to laugh at it. She smiled at him and shook her head. He was such a boob. "Let me think about it. I do have a lot of work to do here."

"Just let me know by that morning, okay?" She nodded and he nodded back. "Okay. Well, I'm very late to meet Zane for training, so I better go before he decides he's bored and wanders off."

Chandra just waved goodbye as he ran out the door. She sat there for a moment, just staring at the door as she attempted to process what had just occurred. Her brain was telling her that she should be elated by this turn of events. Her heart was confused, however. Perhaps that was just because it'd been so long since… anyone had shown interest in her. She shook her head and yanked her work gloves back on. That must be it. She just wasn't used to men flirting with her. Sighing, she picked up the orb and went back to work. Her mind was swimming again and it needed to be cleared.

* * *

"If you keep playing with your hair like that, you're gonna go bald."

Jace's hand stopped half way to his head. He turned just enough to see his young son in the mirror, leading in the doorway, arms crossed, and shaking his head. Jace could see his clouded eyes and marveled once again at the boy's power. Though it wasn't really power this time, just heightened senses. He could probably hear the rustling of his hair.

"There's one piece that keeps sticking up," Jace muttered, attempting again to smooth it down. It stayed that way for all of two seconds before it flew back up. He growled in frustration.

"Just use an illusion like you always do." Zane sounded angry for some reason, and Jace was sure it wasn't over his hair. He turned fully so he could properly see his apprentice. The boy was in his leathers, and they looked freshly beat up. Jace could sense an illusion around him, and took a closer look. Bloodied knuckles, a black eye, and a bloody nose suddenly became clear. Zane didn't seem to notice to probe, and Jace figured there was a reason he hid the wounds. So he decided to be subtle.

"Find a rough training partner at the arena?" Jace asked slowly. Zane's head jolted up, and unseeing eyes stared in confusion at his master. "Only your armor has some new scratches. He didn't beat you up too badly, did he?"

"She," Zane corrected. "And no, I let her win."

"Doesn't sound like you," Jace chuckled, coming to clasp a hand on his shoulder. "Do you like her?"

"No!" Zane shouted, his face twisting into disgust. "I don't like girls like that. They're… gross." Jace couldn't help his laughter. "It's not funny!"

"You sound like some pre-teen squealing about cooties," Jace chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair. Zane flinched, and Jace wondered if he hit his head. He just shook his head and went back to the mirror, pulling on his tux jacket. "Whatever floats your boat, kiddo. I'm not gonna judge, but your mother might."

"I'm not worried," he said with a shrug. "I've got no responsibility in the family line unless she fails to have a daughter. And I don't think that's going to be a problem for very much longer, do you?" He wiggled his eyebrows and Jace was suddenly very glad that Zane was blind. It means the boy couldn't see how badly he was blushing. But something told him that he knew anyway.

Jace coughed to clear his throat and started attempting to tie his cravat. "I can't imagine what you're implying with that," Jace said flatly, narrowing his eyes as the tie came undone. His fingers were clumsy as his mind wandered with Zane's suggestion. "Unless of course you're talking about Ma'Ren. He's been making himself a nuisance trying to get her attention."

"He's gonna be there tonight, right?" Zane asked, coming over and grabbing the cravat out of Jace's hands. It was amazing to Jace how much he could do while blind. He tossed the fabric around his father's neck and started to knot it expertly. "Where's he sitting?"

"At the other end of the table, I made sure of that."

"And where's Ma sitting?"

"On my right."

"Put her on the left." Jace gawked at him as he finished tying the cravat. "It's a Kaladesh thing. Putting someone at your left is a sign of respect. It means you trust them enough to be on your weak side. She'll appreciate it."

"Thanks for the tip." Jace adjusted the tie a little and gave one last tug on the jacket before he swept out of the room, Zane following close behind.

The men didn't have to wait long for Chandra to come down the stairs. It seemed like it was a case of perfect timing, but Zane had been letting her know where they were the entire time. She walked down with a smug smile on her face, and relished it when Jace's jaw dropped open. She looked over to Zane, and saw him smiling, eyes locked onto her. He met her at the bottom of the stairs and took her hand.

"Ma, you're beautiful," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. He knew how much she loved hearing him say that. Not because she was vain, but because those were the first words he spoke after he figured out how to use his magic to see. There were days when he lived to see his mother's smile, and nothing made her smile more than knowing he was able to see. "Back to your normal dress I see. You're going to give all the ladies heart attacks when they see you."

"Yeah I know," she said with a shit eating grin. She looked down at her gown and gave a little chuckle. She was back to her typical long sleeved, high necked, hooded dress. Though this time she designed the stones in a swirling pattern around the hem of the skirt, sleeves and hood, instead of the usual encrusted bodice. The swirling echoed the swirled pendant that hung from the ribbon around her forehead. "I just love pissing off all those over stuffed sluts."

"Are you talking about all the senator's wives?" Jace asked, shrugging a little. "I don't think 'slut' is a fair descriptor. After all, I think their one or two lovers are fairly consistent." It was a bad joke, but it made her chuckle and that was worth it. "The carriage is outside. Ready to go?"

"Just about. Can you get my hood up for me, please?" He nodded, and slipped the hood up, and then pulled it over her eyes. She let out a small 'Hey!' and pulled it back with a grin. "Be serious!"

"I'm gonna have to be serious all night," he said with a chuckle, setting the comb in the hood into one of the braids. "Let me have my bad jokes."

"Just leave the puns at the door, mkay?"

"I promise nothing."

* * *

Just as Chandra had predicted, all he ladies at the dinner were in a tiff. They'd made their dresses like the one she wore at the ball and were pissed when she walked in in her typical ensemble. She was shocked, though, that Jace put her at his left. Zane must have said something, and she appreciated the thought. She could feel Ma'Ren's mismatched eyes on her from the other end of the table. Every once in a while, she chanced a glance his way. Thankfully, he left the crown at home and left his goggles around his neck. Brown hair hung loosely around his eyes, obscuring his brown eye but making his blue one almost glow. That was the one she could see boring into her.

"May I ask you a question, M'Lady?" Chandra looked up at the man sitting across from her. A senator whose name she long since forgot. Though he was married, there was no wife in sight, and the look he was giving Chandra told her exactly why the wife wasn't there.

"It all depends on the question," she said with a chuckle. "What is it?"

"What makes the Sisterhood so important?" he asked. Jace's ears perked up a little at that. It was a question on his mind too. "Is it true that you use a different type a magic?"

"Ah, now there is a question that isn't asked often enough," she said, sitting back in her chair. "It is true. Most people use mana based magic because it's the easiest to learn. You don't need a particular aptitude for it and anyone can use it. Mana comes from the earth like a natural resource."

"I don't mean to disagree, Excellency," the senator interrupted, making her stare at him in wide eyed anger, "but not everyone can use mana. It does take an aptitude, as you say."

Jace sat up a little straighter, his eyes darted between the two, and brought a counter spell to the tip of his tongue. He was ready to stop whatever fireball that was inevitably going to be hurled across the table. Chandra's hands were shaking under the table as she tried to control herself.

"I take it you don't use magic, do you, Senator?" Chandra asked slowly. He shook his head and he opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it. "Then you're obviously not as learned as I am in the subject. Everyone can use mana based magic. For some, like Jace and myself, it comes as natural as breathing. For others, it takes time, practice, and patients. You seem to be in short supply of at least two of those things." She took a sip of her drink and Jace had to cough to cover his laugh.

"So what kind of magic do the Sisters use then? Or is it some closely guarded secret?" the senator asked, looking distinctly like he regretted asking the question but in too deep to not get an answer.

"It's an inner magic that comes from the soul." Both men looked confused, so she elaborated. "Colloquially it's known as will power. Of course, that's a thing that all people have. The willpower to avoid desert, to not take a drink, to ignore the person you really like." Jace gave her a sidewise glance. She ignored it. "But the power to use your will and make it take shape? That is special, and very selective. It's a gift only given to women, passed down through the blood. The first High Priestess, my ancestor, thought that it was because women… feel deeper and are more in touch with themselves than men."

"They're more something alright, but feeling isn't the word I'd use," the Senator muttered to Jace, who returned the comment with a look that said 'you're on thin ice'. He then turned to Chandra and gave her what she assumed was supposed to be a charming grin. Really it just came off creepy. "So what can you do with this magic? I imagine it's not as versatile as mana."

"You would be right in that assumption, and wrong at the same time," Chandra said, retuning his grin with one of her own. She had to at least pretend to be nice to him, he'd be sitting across from her all evening. "Because it's a very internal magic, it mostly manifests in personal ways. For myself and others it strengthens my own magic, most of my girls train to see the future or become great healers, some of them use their magic for philosophy, astrology, and science. I once knew a women who had no idea she possessed this gift and used it to make the best cup of coffee you've ever had." Jace chuckled a little, and the Senator rolled his eyes.

"Well I suppose that does explain the name," the Senator mused as the first course plates were taken away. "Sisterhood of the _Oracle._ "

"Actually it's called Oracle for another reason," Chandra said flippantly. "But the reason doesn't matter."

" _Tell me?"_ She had to stop herself from jumping when she heard Jace's voice in her head.

" _Oracle is the name of the plane,"_ she thought back. She grinned at him, and he grinned back. _"Too cheesy?"_

" _It's so cheesy it's stringy when you pull it apart."_

" _What did I say about leaving the puns at home?"_

" _I promised nothing."_

* * *

Right before desert, Ma'Ren came around to the head of the table. Chandra bristled at his approach, but blessedly he stayed on the other side. He clamped a hand on the Senator's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"Senator Gibraltar, would you mind terribly if I stole our host and his lovely date for a moment?" Ma'Ren asked cordially. At the same time, Jace nearly jumped out of his chair. Chandra figured they must have been speaking telepathically. That or Jace really wanted to get away from the obnoxious Senator. She rose as well, not waiting for the man's response. Ma'Ren gestured to a back room, and the three quickly made their way. He closed the door securely and cast a silence spell around them. "I've heard an interesting rumor that you might want to hear."

"I really don't care about the whispers of the Izzet," Jace groaned, rolling his eyes.

"You're going to want to hear this," Ma'Ren said firmly, looking between them. "This concerns both of you."

"Then why didn't you tell us sooner?" Jace was angry, and Chandra put a hand on his arm to calm him. It took a lot to get under his skin, but Ma'Ren seemed to have a way to do that almost instantly. He bothered Chandra too, mostly due to his unwavering desire to throw her into bed, but she could deal with that.

"I'm not required to tell you anything," Ma'ren snapped back. "But as it happens, I just learned about this this morning."

"You'd tell _me_ if it was important, right?" Chandra asked, putting on a coy tone and batting her eyelashes at him. She saw him melting right into her hand.

"That is what I'm doing now, isn't it?" He grinned lavatiously, and she suppressed a shudder. "And I think you know what I want in exchange for the information."

She rolled her eyes a little. "If your info is good, you might get it. Now what is it?"

"I don't think you're going to like it."

* * *

The next morning, Jace called a meeting of Gatewatch. Ajani and Teferi couldn't make it, so it was just him, Chandra, Gideon, and Liliana sitting around the table. Liliana was the only one visibly upset, and had sat there complaining for a solid ten minutes about the spa date she had to cancel to be there. It took everything in Chandra not to torch the woman's hair, and it was especially difficult because they sat next to each other.

"We've received some… disturbing information," Jace said solemnly, folding his hands on the table. "Now the legitimacy of the info is questionable at best, so we need to decide if we want to act on it."

"That would depend on what you heard," Gideon stared, staring at the table as he always did when he was thinking too hard. "But if it's got you freaked, it's probably worth looking into."

Jace was about to continue when they heard a knock. They turned to see Zane in the doorway, coat on and a pack slung over his shoulder.

"Zane Nalaar, is that really you?" Liliana asked with a chuckle, rising from her seat and giving him a hug. "I can't believe this is the first time I'm seeing you since you became Jace's pupil. Look at how much you've grown! You're a man now, aren't you?"

"Good to see you too, Auntie Lili," Zane said with a chuckle and a shrug. "You can blame that taskmaster over there for keeping me so busy."

"I do, daily. We shall have to speak properly one of these days soon." He nodded, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek and returned to her seat.

"Well I just wanted to tell you I'm off," Zane said, adjusting the pack.

"Off where?" Chandra asked, her brows furrowed.

"My trip, Ma," Zane replied, the hurt clear in his voice. "I've been telling you about it for a month."

"Your trip's not until the 16th," she said, still confused. That was, of course, until Jace leaned over to her.

"Today's the 16th," he said flatly, arching one eyebrow at her. She facepalmed and stood to give her son a big hug.

"Oh I'm so sorry, sweetheart," she cooed, mussing up his hair. "You know how the days get away from me. Are your friends here? I want to meet them."

"No!" Poor Zane looked completely horrified. "I mean they're just my friends. You don't _have_ to meet them, do you?"

"No but I want to," Chandra said firmly, heading towards the front door. When she got there, she was a little taken aback. The ragtag group was not one she'd expect to see her son hanging around with. Four men stood there, each one looking rougher than the last. A skinny blonde half-elf that had way too many piercings to be respectable came to stand by Zane's side as soon as the boy got to the door. Two more were identical twins, pale as ghosts with midnight black hair and purple cloaks. The last was a large man that barely fit in the doorway, with arms as big around as Chandra's whole body. He stood with those tree trunks crossed and an angry look on his face. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again to see through her special sight. None of them were planeswalkers. She smiled knowing that she didn't have to worry about Zane and company gallivanting off to another plane. "It's so nice to meet you all. I'm Chandra, Zane's mother."

"A pleasure to meet you, M'Lady," the blonde said, stepping forward and kissing her hand. "I'm Aelran, the Terror Twins there are known as Romulus and Remus, and the big guy is Doku. I hope you don't mind that we're whisking your boy away for a few weeks."

"Oh of course not," Chandra said with a smile. "I'm glad he's going out with friends. I'm glad he has friends. He's had such trouble making them. I remember when he was little there was another child at the monastery, he grew up with me in a monastery, and he was so shy that whenever the kid walked by, Zane would turn invisible just so he wasn't seen!"

"Maaaaaa," Zane groaned as the group laughed. Really only Aelran laughed, the Terror Twins as they were so called had just chortled, and Doku continued to scowl. "Stop embarrassing me."

"I'm afraid that's my job, sweetie," Chandra grinned, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Now you go have fun on your hike. Be safe and be careful, please. I don't want you coming back with more holes and less extremities that you left with."

"Yes, Ma," Zane droned in that way that children do. He put his pack on properly and took one step out the door before he turned around and gave her a big hug. "Love you, Ma."

"Love you too, sweetie," Chandra whispered into his hair before giving him a kiss on top of his head. He gave her one last smile before he left, closing the door telekinetically behind him. She wandered her way back into the meeting, a sad smile on her face. "They grow up so fast."

" _I'd hardly call it fast,_ " Liliana said in that strange language. " _He's turning 900 this year, isn't he?_ "

" _That's right,_ " Chandra replied, twisting a piece of hair around her finger.

" _And you still haven't told him?_ " Liliana glanced briefly at Jace, who scowled.

" _You know I've tried and tried. I give up. He'll remember when he wants to remember._ "

" _And if he never does?_ "

" _His loss._ "

"Ladies, if you don't mind, we do have business to discuss," Gideon butted in, arching an eyebrow at the two of them. Chandra had been trying to teach him the ancient language, but he just wasn't getting it. She figured he understood less than half of their conversation. Jace, on the other hand, probably had it all figured out.

"Oh I'm so sorry. Let me make up for lost time then," Chandra chided, pursing her lips. "The Infinite Consortium's back! It's been running solidly for more than three years under _someone's_ nose, someone who won't be named but is sitting at this table, Jace." She took a smug sip of her coffee and ignored the 'if looks could kill' glare she was receiving from the head of the table.

"The Consortium?" Liliana looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Her expression revealed nothing, but the fact that all the color had drained from her face and the white knuckle grip on her coffee cup gave away just how freaked out she was. "Is it Tezzeret?"

"I feel if Tezzeret was back on Ravnica, he would have come after us by now," Jace said flatly, leaning back in his chair with a huff. "But I have no idea who else it could be. If our source is correct, then it popped up overnight, fully functional and running like it never closed."

"Who is your source, by the way?" Gideon asked.

"Ma'Ren," Chandra pipped up. That earned her a look from Liliana. "Apparently the Izzet have been faithful customers since it reopened. I thought their exotic tools and things were because they've got at least two planeswalkers in their ranks, but I guess I was wrong."

"So why tell you now?" Gideon always asked the sensible questions, if only because he couldn't think of the more complicated ones.

"Because of what the delivery boy told him yesterday." Jace sighed and looked at Chandra. "You want to tell them, or should I?" She gave him a noncommittal wave of her hand, her way of tell him to go on. "The delivery boy was bragging about how he was going to pick up some artifacts from the Sisterhood. Turns out there's a rather large market for those stolen items and the new leader claims to be an expert on them. They buy high and sell high."

"Someone betrayed me and I want to find out who it is," Chandra growled, the grip on her mug almost enough to shatter it. She was shaking, and Liliana put a hand on her shoulder to try and steady her. Chandra just shrugged it off and bolting up from her chair. "I'm going to find them and I'm going to kill them!"

"That's a little extreme, don't you think?" Jace asked, unconsciously scooting his chair back a few inches.

"Extreme perhaps, but perfectly within her rights as the High Priestess," Liliana explained with a shrug. She turned to Chandra and pulled her back into her seat. "I take it you've a plan to enact this revenge?"

"That bitch likes my artifacts so much, I'll offer up one she can't refuse," Chandra said with a sly grin. From a crate sitting on the floor next to her, Chandra produced an elaborately decorated diadem. While it was no larger than circlet, it was heavy with gold and the purest diamonds. Liliana gasped when it hit the light and shone like the sun.

"Are you crazy?" Liliana asked, reaching to snatch the diadem away. Chandra put it just out of her reach. "That's the crown of the first Priestess. It's been in your family—"

"For millennia. I know my own history, Liliana," Chandra snapped, her hair igniting at the tips. "It's the greatest artifact the Sisterhood has. I'm sure it'll be more than tempting."

"You might lose that forever, you realize that?" Jace asked, looking nervously at the crown.

"No, I won't. Here, take it." She handed it to Jace, who held it like a nervous man with a new baby. Chandra snapped her fingers and in a second it was gone from his hands and back in hers. "It's enchanted to appear to me from anywhere. So the worst that will happen is I sell it for a few million and then its right back in my possession."

"That's dangerous on so many levels." Jace shook his head and bit his lip. "If they realize that you've taken it back… I can't speak for how it's run now, but when I ran it, my assassins were the best of the best. They were the reason that people didn't do to me what you're planning to do."

"I can handle a few assassins," she barked, flames licking at her fingertips. "Now are you going to help me track down this asshole, or do I have to do it myself?"

An image of Ravnica in cinders flashed through Jace's mind. "I'll help."

* * *

It took a few days for Jace's spies to get back to him. They discovered that the Consortium was based out of a decrepit building in Avaric. From the location they gave him, Jace remembered it clearly as the base of the Ravnican cell when he was working for Tezzeret. Of course, Jace was sure he'd destroyed that building and everything in it, but it seemed he didn't do a good enough job.

Securing lodgings close to the hide out proved to be an easy task. Avaric was the most run down district and people were either leaving or dying in droves, so rent was cheap. Liliana didn't want to have anything to do with the district, so she stayed behind in the City and was told to keep her ear to the ground. Gideon, with Lavinia's help, got assigned to the district's patrol. That left Jace and Chandra to enact their deception.

The trip down was an easy two days of riding. Jace was sure he could have just stepped into the Æther and stepped out right in the middle of Avaric, but he wasn't so sure that Chandra could. They took their trip mostly in silence, talking only enough to decide when to eat and where to bed down for the night. She was on edge the entire trip, and the last thing he wanted to do was raise her ire. He'd briefly popped in on Sorin a month ago and the man's words were still ringing in his ears.

" _The longer you stay quiet, the more pissed she'll be when she realizes you've been lying to her."_

Sorin was a good confidant, mostly because he didn't give a shit one way or another, and Jace had confessed all to his friend. Of course, Sorin wasn't very happy when he learned the story behind Zane's parentage and, like Liliana, had tried to convince him to tell Chandra. Jace was nervous, and he couldn't find the right time or place to talk to her. He had thought this trip would be good, but every time he opened his mouth, he'd see how pissed she was about the current situation and close it again. There'd be other times, he was sure.

He hoped.

The first time they had a proper conversation was when they arrived at their temporary flat in Avaric. It was a dump. The whole placed smelled, the floor boards had rotted away completely in one corner, and the bed was just a lumpy straw mattress. The one bed in the flat.

"Gods, I never thought I'd live like this again," Jace muttered as he gingerly set his pack down near the door. When the floor didn't immediately give way, he let go.

"Don't be such a baby," Chandra muttered, tossing her bag on the bed. It sent up a cloud of dust and she nearly started choking. "It's only for a couple weeks."

"Still." Jace waved his hand and all the dust in the flat flew out the window. "I hate this."

"Me too," Chandra muttered, going to look through the cabinets. "Well, first things first, we're gonna need to get food. And then we need different clothes. Or… _you_ need different clothes. I've got my outfit."

"I've got stuff," he said, looking around nervously. "You take the bed. I'll be fine on the floor."

"You sure?" she asked, looking around at the two rickety wooden chairs and then back to the bed. "It's big enough, we could both fit comfortably."

"Yeah I'm sure. I've slept on worse…" he said, looking at the wall farthest away from her.

"Worse like what?" Chandra started unpacking her bag, pulling out hangers and way too many bundles of fabric to actually fit in the tiny bag.

Jace shrugged. "Like how I was raised."

"As a gypsy?"

"How did you know that?"

"The tattoos. They're distinct. And there was a gypsy camp perpetually set up like half a mile from the village I grew up in."

"Village? I thought you grew up in Ghirapur?"

"Only until I was like 8. Then my grandpa was killed and we had to move to help my grandma with the farm. It was this little, backwater town in a valley between these two huge mountains. It was the only good thing about it."

"Sounds like a paradise for you," Jace muttered, grabbing his pack and bringing it into the bedroom. "I don't remember most of where I grew up. And the little I do remember makes me happy I don't remember the rest."

"I thought you said you erased all your memories of your childhood?" Chandra asked, bringing her pack into the bathroom. "Do you remember things that you made yourself forget?"

He knew where she was going with this line of enquiry, and he needed to dodge around it. He wasn't ready for the conversation yet. "Sometimes." He dug through his pack, and pulled out a simple silver ring with a tiny diamond. "Catch." He tossed it to her and she caught it easily. "Marry me?" he joked, going back through his pack.

Chandra's breath caught in her throat for a second before she remembered their plan. Of course, the flippant way he asked it, even as a joke, reminded her of the time he really did. Looking down, she gazed longingly at the obsidian band that rested on her finger. She remembered how it had looked when he first gave it to her, all encased in silver and beautiful. Alas, 900 years of wearing it had worn down the metal for just stone to remain. She slipped it off, along with the pentacle ring on her middle finger, the badge of her office. Carefully, she put them both on the rotting dresser and prayed they'd still be there when this was all over. She put the new ring on and finally took a good look at it. It was simple, elegant, and looked far too nice for it to be something he had just laying around.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, raising it up to the light. It sparkled brilliantly.

"I nicked it," he said with a shrug. She gaped at him open mouthed and he sighed. "When we stopped in Favarial, I went out in the middle of the night and nicked it from a shop. On our way back through the town to go home, the owner will mysteriously find it under the counter. I did not want to pay for a ring that's only going to be worn for a few weeks."

"I didn't think we were gonna have one, to be honest," she said, giving him a little shrug and cocking her head at the ring. "But it's a nice touch. So you go do whatever smarmy shit you have to do, and I'm gonna get us dinner."

* * *

Chandra made sure to take precaution when she went to the market; she wore a brown wig and a simple grey gown, topped with the traditional brown cloak of the Sisters. Avaric was a small place, and it seemed like everyone knew everyone, so she made sure to keep the clasp of her cloak in plain view. Jace could try his back alley way of getting the Consortium's attention, but she knew this was a better method. If Sisterhood artifacts were so valuable, and a stranger appears with their mark, people would talk and someone was bound to approach her. She kept an eye out for anyone loitering around her, but as she got food and provisions from the meager market, she found she couldn't tell the suspicious characters from the civilians. Everyone looked run down and ratty here.

She found this place reminded her of the slums of Zinara. Upon first arriving on Regatha, she had to reside there for a few months until she was able to get a better place. Of course there, the people who lived in the slums were those who had been victims of the Order of Heliud. They were mostly innocent civilians, cast out of their homes for one imagined slight or another. Some had chosen to live there to avoid the eyes of the guards. She'd met many a pyromancer there who were unable to afford the trip to the monastery. Her heart had ached for them just as her heart now ached for the people of Avaric. As High Priestess, she could do something about it. But in her disguise, she was powerless, and it made her stomach churn. Part of her was glad, though, that at least her son would never know these hardships. Whether he knew it or not, his father would make sure of that.

Upon returning to the flat, she had almost thought she'd planeswalked by accident. It wouldn't have been the first time. For some reason the flat was now twice the size with comfortable, bordering on lavish, furniture and decorations. Jace stood in the middle of what was now a living room, admiring his work with a smug look on his face.

"What," was the only word Chandra managed to get out of her mouth.

"Like it?" he asked, a giddy smile on his face, like a school boy showing his parents a good grade.

"You're insane," she found her voice, and nervously looked around. "You are completely insane. This is dangerous! This is a beacon! You're going to blow our cover! Are you mad?!"

"The jury's still out. But this is fine!" He said, sweeping his arms around the flat. "I hid from the Consortium, from Tezzeret's Consortium, for six months living like this. We can do it for two weeks." He shut his mouth tightly after that. After all, it wasn't _really_ him who had done the hiding, but it was close enough. He didn't want to think about Kallist right now.

"If you're sure…" Chandra muttered, finally closing the door. She put the basket down in the now very nice kitchen and shook her head. "Really, though? You can't rough it for a little?"

"I'd just rather not, that's all." He shrugged, and plopped himself down on the couch. "Besides, at least now I have a comfortable place to sleep and don't have to worry about the floor giving way underneath me."

"Where are my rings?" she asked, pulling off the wig and cloak. She set them aside and started to unpack the basket.

"Right here." He pulled them out of his pocket and held up the obsidian ring. "This is quite nice. Very thoughtful, the obsidian. He must have really loved you."

The sound of breaking glass pulled Jace out of his musings. He saw Chandra on the ground, gingerly picking up pieces of a broken jar that once held jam, now all over the floor. He came kneel beside her and, with a wave of his hand, it was all cleaned up. She didn't look at him, though, and kept her gaze trained on the ground. His mouth opened and closed a couple times, but he just couldn't find the right words.

"I'm sorry," was all that he managed. Her shoulders started shaking, and a choked sob left her throat. He panicked. "Shit, Chandra, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean—"

"Its fine," she muttered, wiping her tears away. "It's really fine. I don't know what came over me." She stood sharply, so much so that Jace lost his balance and fell backwards a bit. She started towards the bedroom and stopped right in the doorway. She turned a slightly, and with a tear-filled eye she muttered, "And yeah, he did." before going fully into the room and slamming the door shut.

Jace quietly stepped towards the door and pressed his ear against it. He heard the soft sounds of her tears and cursed himself. A perfect opportunity to tell her had just come and gone and now he felt like a complete ass. He shook his head and plopped down on the couch again, burying his face in a pillow. He still had a couple of weeks to sort things out.

Maybe.

* * *

It took nearly a week for someone to finally approach them. Jace had returned to the flat triumphant that evening, letting Chandra know that a couple of cloaked figures had spoken to him and they had an appointment to meet someone the very next night. They had also let him know that their Boss was an expert, and would know if they were trying to pull a trick. Chandra had just laughed at that part. She was sure whichever Sister had betrayed her wouldn't be able to tell the difference between real and fake artifacts, and that the line was just a ruse to scare those who did bring fakes. She told Jace so, and he had agreed.

The next night they found their way to the Bitter End Tavern. She wore the cloak and dress of a common Sister, and Jace had put on some plain leather armor and wore a broad sword at his hip. He illusioned his hair to be a dirty blonde, and made his tattoos disappear. He couldn't do much more without rendering himself completely useless. After all, his concentration was already shot between sustaining the illusion and selectively reading the thoughts of everyone around them. If he tried to do too much, either his disguise would suffer, or his mind would be bombarded.

When they got in, the barmaid showed them to a back booth that was blocked by a curtain. She pulled it aside for them, showing an empty booth, and told them someone would be there shortly. Once they sat, she closed the curtain again and let them be.

"Remember, just let me do all the talking," Chandra said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be fine if you just let me talk."

Jace just nodded. He was a little busy anyway. He could hear the thoughts of everyone in the bar, and cast his mind's eye out beyond the curtain to watch the door. Everything seemed innocent enough, until two men walked in. Two men whose thoughts were blocked to him. He couldn't pry too much, lest he alert them to his power, so he dropped the spell and focused on blocking thoughts instead. He took Chandra's hand and squeezed it, letting her know that the people they wanted to see were here.

"Two men," he whispered. "One of them is going to wait outside the curtain. The other's coming in now. Get ready."

The curtain was pulled back and there stood a young male half-elf, blonde, with way too many piercings to be respectable. His hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and he looked significantly less cheerful than the last time Chandra had seen him.

"So, you are the two that have been trying to get our attention," he said, taking his seat across from them and closed the curtain. He took out a metal pyramid and set it on the table, giving it a tap. A pulse was sent out and Chandra shuddered. Jace recognized it immediately and stared at it, wide eyed. "Don't look so worried. It's just to no one can hear us. So, what do you have to show us? And please, don't be wasting our time with fakes. The Boss won't be happy."

"Wait, I thought we were meeting with The Boss," Chandra said, already confused that they were meeting with a man. Perhaps her wayward Sister had told this man what to look for.

"Nah, Boss has been getting so many fakes, he's sent me to sort them out," the man said with a chuckle.

"He?!" Chandra couldn't help the bark. This was all getting a bit too confusing for her. Jace gave her had a squeeze, as if to say 'we'll figure it out later'. The man arched an eyebrow and Chandra gave a small, innocent chuckle. "Well I just thought this so called expert would be one of my Sisters, that's all."

"The Boss ain't no Sister, Sister…?"

"Serena."

"Serena," the man continued. "But he does have a special connection, as he calls it. So what have you got? I don't have all night."

"My beloved has told you her name," Jace said, looking the man defiantly in the eyes. "Now how about yours and we start on an even playing field?"

"Ballsy," the man said with an arched eyebrow and a grin. "How sad that you're straight. You can call me Lan. And yours?"

"Darian," Jace said flatly.

"Pleasure to meet you," Lan said, leaning back. "The artifact?" Chandra glared at him, but reached into her bag anyway. She conjured the diadem to her hand and pulled it out, handing it over the table. Lan's eyes widened when he saw it, and he took it gingerly from her grip. He started looking it over, making sure to handle it reverently. "How did you get this? Why?"

"It's all to do with that bitch High Priestess," Chandra started, putting on a sour face. The lie slipped easily from her lips, and it should with all the rehearsing she did. "Darian's a soldier, you see. And we met one day when I went into town. There were this awful men who grabbed me down an alley and," her eyes welled up with tears and she latched onto Jace's arm with a swoon, "my hero heard the screams and came running. Well it was love at first sight. But they didn't want me to see him. I thought I could appeal to the Priestess, but she just kept denying me. So we decided to do a runner."

"But that doesn't explain how you managed to steal this," Lan said, now leaning over the table, enraptured in the story.

"My position at the castle was, well let's call it inventory," Chandra continued with a smile. "Sisters take shifts watching over the artifacts. It wasn't hard to sneak him in, grab the crown, and hop on a teleport disk to get here. Another Sister had told me that you guys were on this plane."

Lan nodded, setting the diadem on the table. "So you want to sell it. What do you want the money for?"

"We need money to start our lives together," Chandra said. "We came here only with the clothes on our backs."

"And yet my sources tell me you've found a flat already and seem to be doing alright," Lan said slowly, looking for reaction. Jace didn't give anything away, and thanks to his quick thinking, made it look like Chandra didn't either.

"What we've managed so far is on good faith that people will be paid, and soon," Jace said calmly, pointing to the clasp on Chandra's cloak. "That has gotten us this far, but I don't know for how much longer. So what are you willing to give us for this?"

"That's difficult to say," Lan said, leaning back again. He bridged his fingers and set them on the table. "If it's a fake, it's a brilliant fake. That level of forgery is a bit beyond my skills to detect. The Boss is going to want to see it. He'll want to see you."

"When?" Chandra couldn't help it. She was anxious now to meet her betrayer.

"All in good time, Sister," Lan said with a chuckle. "I'll see him tonight and word will be sent in the morning. Do keep in mind, he is very busy. Might not be able to see you right away."

"We can wait," Jace said with a nod. "Just please, not for too much longer."

"I'll see what I can do," Lan said, standing and taking the metal pyramid with him. "He's a sucker for a good love story."

Lan left quickly, and Chandra immediately put the diadem back in her bag. She took a deep breath to steady herself and then looked at Jace for confirmation. They'd actually managed to fool him. She let out a small chuckle and put her head on the table.

"Oh my god I'm so glad he didn't recognize me," Chandra groaned in between chuckles.

"What do you mean? You've met him before?" Jace gawked at her for a second before she punched his arm.

"I didn't set this up if that's what you're thinking!" she barked back. "I met him only for a minute. He's one of Zane's friends. Aelran, I think his name was."

"Then I guess the question is, does Zane know?"

"If he did he would have told me. He tells me everything."

* * *

Word did indeed come the next morning. It was just a letter slipped under the door when they were both asleep. Lan, or Aelran, or whatever his name actually was, had made good on his promise. The Boss had agreed to meet with them in three days' time. But neither of them actually got the letter until the evening. It had slipped under the carpet, and they didn't find it until Jace tripped over the corner because he'd been watching Chandra lean over to pick up something she dropped.

"I think this is cause for celebration, don't you?" he asked, handing her the letter after he read it. "What do you say? Let's go for a drink."

"That might be dangerous, considering how low your tolerance is," Chandra said with a chuckle. "However, getting some alcohol and bringing it back here I am not opposed to at all."

"Are you calling me a light weight?" Jace asked, feigning hurt. "I am offended in the highest order."

"Because it's true?"

"I'll show you true."

With a short shout, she darted away from him, but he was a little too quick. He managed to grab her around the waist and lift her up. He spun her around and she squealed, half in laughter, half in fear. She kicked and wiggled, trying to break free, and her feeble efforts produced an eruption of laughter from both of them. After another spin, he finally put her down. She turned to smack him and he grabbed her hand midair. He still had an arm around her waist, and now she was _so_ close. He couldn't help it, it was too tempting. And he could have sworn she was leaning closer too. So he plucked up some courage and kissed her.

Much like the first time, there weren't sparks or fireworks. Just an instant sense of comfort. A sense of home that he'd never had. Chandra, too, leaned into the kiss, longing for a feeling that had long since passed. His arm tightened around her, and she pressed herself into him. She only did so for a second before she pulled away, the feeling rising up in her becoming just a little too much. She gasped for air, and Jace looked just as wide eyed and shocked when he finally regained composure over himself.

"I could use that drink now," she whispered, taking another step back.

Jace just nodded and put up his illusion, slipping out the door with his head reeling.

As soon as the door closed, Chandra grabbed a pillow and shrieked into it. Then promptly threw herself onto her bed, face still buried in a pillow and threw the biggest temper tantrum she'd ever thrown in her life. Kicking, screaming, flailing, the whole nine yards. It took a good twenty minutes to well and truly exhaust herself. She decided to change, pulling on baggy sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. She pulled her hair back into a messy bun and washed her make up off. Taking a look in the mirror, she decided she looked as un-sexy as she possibly could and flopped down on the bed again.

What was that jerk thinking? She couldn't possibly imagine. He seemed to ignore her most days out of the week and hadn't shown any inclination towards even tolerating her since they met. Well, met _again_. Now that she thought about it, he did ask her to that dinner, but she had figured that was more a political move. He'd also made it a point to dance with her at every ball. That had to mean something, right? She wasn't sure anymore. And she wasn't sure what her heart was telling her about all of this either. Maybe if they did do _stuff_ , maybe he would start to remember things. Or maybe he'd fall in love with her all over again and they could start over. That wouldn't be too bad.

Right?

It took Jace nearly an hour to return to the flat. When he did, he had a plethora of different alcohols, mixers, and snacks. He didn't say anything as he unpacked it all, got glasses, and poured them both some whiskey. The first time he looked at her since returning was when he handed her glass to her. He very nearly stopped breathing; even a mess he still found her beautiful.

"To bad decisions," he said, holding his glass out.

"Bad decisions," she echoed, tapping her glass and then knocking the whole thing back. She quickly refilled her glass and drained it again in a second. Looking up, Jace was staring at her, his own glass halfway to his lips. "Well keep up."

An hour, a bottle of whiskey, half a bottle of vodka, and one broken glass later and they two were well and truly sloshed. While Chandra had teased Jace about his low tolerance, she too couldn't hold her liquor well. After the first couple of glasses, the awkwardness of their earlier kiss was gone. Instead, they had started a drinking game of attempting to one up each other with their scars. It was all fun and games until Jace had to take off his shirt to show her some burns he got. Which then prompted her to show him the still black scar from where a goblin had clawed at her thigh, so off came her sweats. Then Jace and his swimming vision couldn't roll up his own pants so he opted to throw them off to show her some frost bite scars that ran up and down his legs. So she pulled up her hoodie to show him the angry red mark across the side of her stomach were Bolas's tail got her. It still hurt, and she winced when Jace's fingers trailed across it. She had almost forgotten that he wasn't there for that part of the fight.

"I'm gonna make that dragon pay," Jace slurred, gently placing a hand below the wound. "How dare he hurt you. I'm gonna kill him."

"In your briefs?" Chandra giggled, batting his hand away. She quickly pulled the hoodie back down and shoved at his shoulder. "I knew you were a briefs guy!"

He blinked at her comment and looked down at himself. "Oh well would you look at that. When did that happen?" Then he looked at her and tugged on the arm of the hoodie. "Why aren't you naked? Come on, fair's fair."

"Hell no." She shoved his hands away again, standing from the couch. The hoodie was big enough that it covered her almost to her knees. "You're the moron who took all his clothes off. Don't make me follow your bag decisions."

"I thought this whole night was about bad decisions?" His eyes raked up and down her legs, and then something occurred to him. "What poor unfortunate soul did you steal that sweater from?"

"Gideon," she said with a coy little grin. "I take a sweater from all my boyfriends. They're my trophies. And they're all massive so they're super cozy." She wrapped her arms around herself, the oversized sleeves whipping around and long enough to make it a strait jacket.

"I thought he was really, really gay. Or was that only after he met you?" He deserved the slap that snapped his head around and he knew it. "Bitch." He wasn't quite sure how he ended up on the floor, but the not so dainty foot that planted itself firmly on his chest was a pretty good indicator. Even sloshed, his instincts took over, and he knew that the leg Chandra was standing on was her bad leg. So it was a simple matter of knocking the leg out from underneath her, catching her as she fell, and rolling over so he pinned her down. "You're a pain in the ass."

"Get off," she muttered, trying to wiggle herself out from underneath him. When he just pressed himself into her she squealed. "Get your fat ass off me! I can't breathe!"

"Oh sorry, is this better?" he asked, going completely limp on top of her. She squealed again and struggled to break free, but in her inebriated state, she wasn't able to do much.

Her initial wiggling had shifted her around a little, and when she started again, her thigh had come up between his legs and rubbed against his still clothed member. Electricity jolted through him and he shifted so he could grind their hips together. He felt more than heard her gasp, and her hands came to his shoulders. The way her nails dug into his shoulders he thought for a second that she'd throw him off, but instead she pulled him closed and placed a drunk and sloppy kiss on his lips.

Alcohol had lowered any inhibitions they might have had, so Jace returned the kiss just as messy. They rocked together like that for a second before he pulled up her hoodie a little so he could grab properly onto her hips. She arched into him as he fingered the waistband of her panties and slipped them off. It wasn't as smooth as he would have hoped, they were both drunk and uncoordinated and he very nearly took a knee in his eye, but he got them off. She was breathing heavily, mostly in anticipation as she raked her nails down his back. He let out a small hiss and her hands came to rest on his ass, giving it a firm squeeze and she pulled him close. He kissed her again and his member strained against his briefs he realized the only thing that separated them was a thin piece of fabric.

Before they could go any farther, there was a heavy pounding against the front door. Shocked, Jace jumped off her, or at least he tried to. He found himself incredibly unsteady on his feet and ended up tripping over them, crashing into the coffee table face first and breaking it. This sent the glasses and a couple of bottles flying across the room, shattering on impact with the floor.

Chandra quickly got to her feet as well, much steadier than Jace had, and picked her way across the broken wood and glass to get to the door. She made sure to pull the hoodie down again before opening it slowly. When she did, Gideon stood there, red faced and pissed.

"What. The. FUCK are you two thinking?!" he demanded, shoving his way inside and slamming the door shut. "These walls aren't sound proof, ya know?! One of the neighbors called the watch saying they expected domestic abuse! What is going—is that my sweater?"

That's when Gideon fully took stock of the room and its occupants. Chandra stood with an innocent smile in her stolen hoodie, Jace was laying in the broken coffee table in his underwear, and broken glass and spilt alcohol covered the floor. He went to the nearest wall and repeatedly banged his head against it. Chandra giggled and sat on the couch, pulling her knees to her chest and yanking the hoodie over her legs.

"Sorry, Gids," she slurred, biting her bottom lip. "We got a little carried away."

"I blame her, she's an instigator," Jace muttered, just pointing to Chandra and not getting up or even turning over. He felt a little too unsteady to move.

"I don't care who you blame!" Gideon barked, making them both clamp their mouths shut. "If I hadn't been on duty tonight, you two would have had your covers blown sky high. While you're here dicking around, I found out that most of the local guard is on the Consortium's payroll AND they're already suspicious of you two."

"We haven't exactly been idle," Jace said, slowly turning his head to look at his comrade and to avoid a piece of glass that was a _little_ too close to his eyes. He flinched when Gideon's furious gaze landed on him, but he continued. "The Boss is gonna see us in three days. We're not gonna get his real name, but we'll have a face and maybe a location and we can go from there."

"If you're going to be in a room with 'The Boss'," Gideon did air quotes, "then why don't you take the opportunity to read his mind? And I thought we were looking for a woman anyway?"

"Turns out it's a dude," Chandra interjected, rocking back and forth in her seat. "A dude who knows about the Sisterhood. So really it narrows it down to a few people. I might even recognize him if he's the son of one of my Sisters. Or one of their husbands."

"And the peons we met with had mental blocks up," Jace continued, managing (with some effort) to sit up. Gideon's eyes locked onto his crotch and Jace was suddenly acutely aware exactly how hard he was. He did his best to ignore the gaze and continued. "Pretty strong ones too. I bet you dollars to donuts that he'll have the same blocks, if not stronger. Even if he didn't, people know when their mind is being invaded. I'd only be able to get surface thoughts without giving myself away anyway. So there." He was tempted to stick his tongue out, but the look Gideon gave him made him think that was a bad idea.

"This'll all be finish soon, Gids, don't you worry," Chandra said rather sing-songy.

"Haven't you two realized yet that it won't be?" He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, sighing deeply. "So you get a face, maybe you get a name, but what then? What do we do with that information? What will you do, Chandra, if it turns out to be one of your Sister's family members? What if it's not? Have you thoughts about this? Either of you?"

"I dismantled the Consortium twice, I can do it again," Jace said stubbornly, crossing his arms in a huff. "Third time's the charm after all."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Chandra said with a soft smile. She sounded much more sober, and with a tone of wisdom that neither man had heard from her before. "Let's first find out what we're dealing with. Is that acceptable to you?"

Gideon huffed and looked away from her, crossing his arms. "Just quiet down and clean up. Lay low until this meeting and DON'T make me come back here again. And Jace? Put some clothes on for goodness sake." With a final nod, he swept out of the room, leaving the two alone again.

They sat in silence for a minute, both staring at the door and trying to sober up a little. Chandra carefully untucked herself from her little cocoon and sighed. It was a good thing Gideon had interrupted when he did. A few more minutes and she was sure they would have gone in a direction she wouldn't have wanted. She wasn't completely opposed to the idea of something happening, but she felt it would be better if nothing did. The last thing she needed to be was confused.

Though it seemed Jace didn't share the sentiment. As soon as she untucked herself, he was on his feet. He didn't even give her a second to compose herself before he was on her again. He cupped her face in his hand and kissed her soundly once more. The intensity behind his kiss made her melt into his arms, and she leaned into it with abandon. Perhaps one bad decision wasn't terrible…

The kiss turned passionate quickly, their tongues dancing between them as he pulled her underneath so she lay on the couch. Now that she was a little more sober fire surged through her veins as his knee came up to rub gently between her legs. She arched into him, and he took the chance to slip his hand under the hoodie again. His hands were like ice as they trailed over soft skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. He raked his fingers down her back, making her break this kiss as her head fell back as a strangled cry of pleasure left her lips. His hands came up again and he gently cupped one of her breasts. They fit perfectly in his hand and he kneaded it as her head fell back again. In a surge of pleasure, he grabbed the other breast not nearly as gently as he had the first time. He wasn't able to hold on long though, and yanked his hand back with a gasp of pain. Looking down, his hands were red and raw, like he'd passed them over a flame.

"Oh my god." Chandra too his hands in hers, summoning her magic to take the heat away from the burns. She bit her lip in a nervous fashion. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize. If you want to stop—"

"What's life with you without a few burns?" He kissed her again, effectively silencing any more protests she had.

There was the briefest of struggles as they worked off the rest of their clothes. Once they were fully bared to each other, Jace sat up and pulled her into his lap. He kissed her again, and clung to her like a drowned man clings to his last breath. She could feel his rock hard member pressing into her thigh and she ground down on his just to see his reaction. He gasped into their kiss, nails digging into her hips and pulling her flush against him. Sparks flew as their chest connected, soft skin grinding against hardened muscle. She was starting to get a little dizzy as heat grew between them, but she didn't want to stop. Nor did she want to wait. Carefully she positioned herself on top of him, and with a short nod, came together as one for the first time in nearly 900 years.

The feeling was electric, and it took them both a moment to recover from it. Only a moment, thought, before they started moving together. It was slow at first, the heat coming off Chandra was intense and she was _so goddamned tight_ between her inner walls and her arms and legs wrapped around him Jace thought he might pass out. He pulled the tie out of her hair and threaded his fingers through the long red mane, grabbing on at the base of her skull and pulling back. She let out a soft cry, everything squeezed, and he bit down hard at the juncture between neck and shoulder. Another gasp of pleasure left her and she arched into him again, pressing him into _just the right spot_.

He couldn't take it anymore and quickly shifted them so she lay down once again beneath him. Like a man possessed he pounded into her, unable to control himself. She certainly egged him on, with every gasp and cry and needing touch she gave him. Her hands eventually found purchase in his hair, and every time he hit that one spot, she'd give him a tug that sent lightning down his spine. So he started aiming for it, and she nearly started screaming. He was sure she would have been screeching if not for the threat Gideon had implied to them. It drove him crazy that she was holding back. He wanted to make her let go. Though he wasn't sure how much he could as he felt his own climax coming. So he reached between them and gently played with her clit. It didn't take long, and as he felt her unwind, he too let go.

The explosion that passed between them felt like it held the heat of the sun. They rode out their pleasure together, their cries drowned in one last passionate kiss. It was the most intense feeling that Chandra had had in a long time. That dizzy feeling had returned, her ears rang so loud she couldn't hear, and she couldn't see anything but white. For the briefest of seconds, a vision passed before her eyes. A vision of a little girl with curly black hair and green eyes. It was gone as quickly as it came, and the dizziness took its place.

As they came off their high, gasping and sweaty, the two became acutely aware of the smell of burning hair. It reduced them both to giggles as they realized the back of Jace's hair had been singed beyond help. He had burns all over his back as well, and even though he insisted they didn't hurt at all, Chandra still felt bad.

They decided to move to the bedroom, where Chandra drug out a burn balm from her bag. The fact that she'd even brought the cream was a subconscious hope that something would happen. She spent a few minutes diligently applying it, idly tracing over his tattoos as she did so. Much as she tried to wrack her memory, she couldn't recall the tattoos he had back then. She could have sworn that there were more, but it was hard to say. When she was done, she climbed back into bed with him and folded into his arms. He held her close, stroking her hair as she drifted off to sleep. Perhaps, over the next few days, she could pretend that they were back on Regatha. Maybe she could pretend that he hadn't shattered her heart. And just maybe, she'd find a way to forgive him.

That night, she had dreams of that little girl with black hair.

* * *

Due to Gideon's suggestion that they 'lay low', they spent the next couple of days in bed together rediscovering each other's bodies. This time, however, Jace made sure to cast Silence around them so as to not disturb the nosy neighbors, and Chandra tried her best to reign in the heat. Tried being the key word because Jace still came out of it with a few new burn scars.

To Jace, those days had been like a dream. For Chandra however, it was a little more muddled. The more she tried to pretend, the deeper the pit in her heart became. She knew the next time they left the flat everything would return to normal. He would go back to ignoring her, and she wasn't sure if she could handle that. Through her thousand years of life he was the only one that managed to get a foothold on her heart. She thought after all this time, all the anger she felt through the years, she'd be able to throw off his advances and shun him like he had her. That proved harder than she anticipated. It was all too easy to fall back into his arms and she just knew that was going to come back and bite her in the ass.

All too soon, the time came for them to meet The Boss. They had dressed in silence, a few stolen glasses and lingering touches passing between them, but not much more than that. He helped her put on her wig, and quickly styled it into a loose braid down her back. He brushed some stray hairs from her neck and placed a small peck just below her ear. She let out a soft sigh and turned to face him, leaning over to give him a soft kiss.

"Whatever happens, we're in this together," he whispered against her lips. "This 'Boss' is no match for us. We take him down and destroy the Consortium once and for all."

"Sounds like a plan," she muttered, looking deep into his eyes. She tried to get any clue as to what he was thinking, but she couldn't find anything.

"And when we get home, I have something I need to tell you," he said softly, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back.

"Tell me now?" she asked, cupping his cheek in her hand. "Please?"

He nuzzled into her hand and placed a soft kiss to her palm. "I don't know how. But I promise, by the time we get back, I'll have figured it out."

"Okay. But the second we get home, you better tell me," she chided, giving him a warm smile.

"The second we get home," he echoed. "I promise."

Lan was waiting for them across the street from the apartment building. He led them down the dark streets Avaric for what seemed like forever. The farther they walked, the more decrepit the buildings and streets became, until they left the slums all together and came to the condemned part of town. The condemned buildings had turned into trash heaps and landfills over the years. There was a nasty stench permeating the air, and it took everything in Chandra not to throw up. He brought them to a boarded up shack, just as nondescript as the rest of the buildings around it.

" _This was the old Ravnican cell,"_ Jace told Chandra in her head. _"Don't be fooled, the whole building is enchanted. It's actually four floors and the size of the entire block. I thought I burnt this place to the ground."_

" _You clearly failed,"_ came the sharp reply. He chanced a glance at her and saw that she was completely on edge. Her entire body was tense and her hands were shaking. He didn't take her hand, but he brushed his thumb across the back of hers and felt some of her tension melt away. _"Thanks."_

He just nodded and turned his attention back to Lan, who was fiddling with a ring of keys. After some clanging and the sound of four locks disengaging, he opened the door with a smirk. As Jace said, when they walked through the door it opened up like magic. They stepped into a huge foyer from which one could see all four upper floors of the building, and saw nearly 100 people milling about. Most were working, going in and out of different rooms or running up and down stairs, clipboards and papers in hand. As they walked by, they could see people counting money, sharpening blades, or cataloguing crates through the open doors. Other people were hanging about, coffee cups in hand and jokes on their lips. There were all kinds of races of people there, a bigger variety than Chandra had ever seen in one place anyway. The one consistent trait, however, was the fact that every single person there was armed to the teeth. Chandra wasn't too worried, one fireball would wipe them all out, but it meant that if something did go wrong they probably couldn't get out unscathed.

Lan lead them up four flights of stairs, to large set of doors on the top floor in the very back. On either side of the door stood two young men, and Chandra recognized them as the 'Terror Twins' Romulus and Remus. She got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and Lan knocked on the door. There was a muffled response and the doors cracked open of their own accord.

"The Boss'll see you," Lan said with a smirk, gesturing to the open door. "Remember, he's very busy, so don't waste his time, kay?"

Chandra leveled a glare on the boy that made him freeze and back up slowly. She stepped through the door, Jace right next to her, and her anger rose. 'The Boss' stood on the other side of the room behind the desk, his back to them as he poured over papers on another table. He just waved a hand to them and shifted the papers around.

"Be with you in a sec. Just have a seat," he said, and Jace had to put a hand on Chandra's shoulder to stop her launching herself over the desk. The boy finished shuffling the papers, and started to speak as he turned. "Lan tells me you have something very special. I can't wait to see. Just know, I'm a bit of an expert, so I'll give you this one last chance to take a fake and leave. Though, not with your memories intact, of course. So what is—" He turned fully, and the last word of Zane's sentence died on his lips. Even in disguise, he knew what his parents looked like. "Oh shit."

" **ZANITHAR KIRAN NALAAR WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"** Chandra shouted, her hair igniting and burning the wig right off her head.

"Oh _fuck_."

"AELRAN!" Chandra barked, making the man look sheepishly around the still open door. "Close the door and make sure we're not disturbed!"

Aelran did as he was told, and they heard the lock engage from the outside. Zane stood there, red faced and embarrassed. He still glared at his mother defiantly, fists shaking with rage. He might have his father's looks and his magic, but his temperament was all Chandra.

"Ma," he ground out between gritted teeth, "I am trying to run a business here. I don't need you butting your nose in where it doesn't belong."

"Doesn't belong?!" she snapped, her eyes glowing, making her son flinch. "You're buying and selling MY relics! I think that's exactly where my nose belongs, don't you?!"

"I'm not selling them, I'm returning them!" he shouted back, telekinetically throwing a book at her. Jace caught it easily and pawed through it, showing her a few pages while Zane explained. "I make more than enough money through… other sources that I started tracking down all the artifacts that were stolen. I've been bringing them back to the Sisterhood one at a time so YOU'RE FUCKING WELCOME!"

"DON'T START SWEARING AT ME YOUNG MAN," she shouted back, fire licking up and down her arms. "WHEN WE GET HOME YOU ARE GOING TO BE GROUNDED FOR THE REST OF YOUR VERY LONG LIFE, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"

"Chandra, go wait outside before you burn the building down," Jace said evenly, resting a hand on her shoulder. Her fiery gaze snapped to him, but he didn't flinch or jerk away. He held her gaze until she doused her hair and huffed. "I'll handle this. Go calm down." She looked like she wanted to protest, but he held up a hand to stop her. "There are a lot of innocent people in this building right now. Let's not turn them into collateral damage. Go wait outside, I've got this."

It seemed like Chandra heard the sense of his words, and turned a much calmer gaze back to Zane. "We're not finished talking about this." With that, she stormed out of the door, leaving father and son alone.

Zane collapsed into his chair, taking a few deep, steadying breaths. With a despondent gaze at the boy, Jace started looking at all the papers piled around. From what he could see, Zane kept meticulous records of everything the organization did, it looked like he was running it well. Better than Jace ever had, at any rate. He was actually impressed. He grabbed one of the ledgers and sat down in one of the previously offered chairs, letting his disguise finally drop. Thumbing through the pages, he glanced at his son. The boy was clearly embarrassed, and very nervous if the look he was giving his father was any indication.

"So three years, huh?" Jace asked, turning the page again. Zane just nodded slowly. "Didn't you first come to Ravnica three years ago?" Another nod. "That was under your last master, right? What was his name again?"

"Abara," Zane muttered distastefully. "He always sent me back in this area to sift through the garbage. He said it was training my telekinesis, but he was just looking for forgotten treasures he could sell. Then I stumbled on this place. I never told him about it though."

"How did you find this?" Jace swept his arms wide around the room. "Because I destroyed all of this ages ago."

"Really? Because it was all intact when I got here," Zane said with a shrug. "It had some pretty heavy enchantments on it though. I managed to decipher them too, you'd be proud. They're there to make sure that nothing gets destroyed. So yeah, burn it down, three days later it'll be back like nothing happened. A fail safe, I guess."

"Paldor never took any chances," Jace muttered, closing the book and sliding it across the desk. "You're good at this."

"Like father, like son," Zane said with a sad chuckle.

"If this was really 'like father, like son' then son would have left well enough alone," Jace snapped, making Zane stare at him in wide eyed shock. "You're in way over your head here young man."

"You… You heard me?" Zane asked, cocking his head in confusion. "You actually heard me?"

 _Shit._ Jace's anger had made him speak before he thought. Now he was caught, and his son was too perceptive for him to continue lying. "Yeah, I heard you," he muttered, scrubbing his face with his hands.

"Do you… remember things?" Zane asked tentatively, leaning forward in anticipation.

Jace bit his lip. Maybe he could tell Zane. After all, he was planning on confessing to Chandra soon. "Everything. I have for a while I just… Don't tell your mother yet. I want to tell her myself."

Zane just nodded, wiping a tear that was building in his eye. "I won't say a word until you tell me to… Dad." A choked laugh came from his lips as he smiled. "Man it feels good to say that."

"I'm sure," Jace said with a small nod. He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. "Now look, you're playing a dangerous game here with this place. You need to shut this down. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"But Dad, I'm doing well," Zane pleaded, looking through a pile of papers and pulling out another ledger. "Look! I've got low overhead, my profits are way in the green, and there's always a demand for some… less then reputable work. It might not be strictly legal, but rules can be bent. And Aelran is great at finding loopholes and—"

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Jace snapped, making Zane sit straight up again. "On paper, you're doing well. Mozal Tov. But power creates enemies. It took this place from Tezzeret, he took it from Nicol Bolas, who the hell knows where he got it from. Who's going to take it from you? How will they do it? I crushed Tezzeret's mind and left him in the hand of the Nezumi on Kamigawa. If it wasn't for Bolas's meddling he would probably have been roasted and eaten alive by those rats. Do you think your mother wants to see you killed because you couldn't quit while you were ahead?"

"But Dad!"

"No buts! Go home. Shut it down. And pray to every god that exists that your mother doesn't take a page out of the Nezumi's book!"

The defiant look that Zane gave his father was a mirror image of the look Chandra gave him on a regular basis. He could tell the boy wasn't going to give up and it almost made Jace laugh. That stubborn attitude was going to get one of these Nalaar's killed one day.

"I'm not going to do that," Zane said with an air of finality to his words. "My work is legal, for the most part, and the few enemies I've made don't stick around long enough to tell the tale."

"You're killing them?!" Jace was a bit taken aback by that. Maybe 'like father, like son' wasn't so far off after all.

"Not in the strictest sense," Zane shrugged so nonchalantly that Jace's mouth fell open. "Mostly I wipe their memories… but every once in a while someone ends up fighting back and I need to take more… what's the word… drastic measures. So yeah, I suppose you can say they're dead in the sense of like brain dead."

Jace watched in shock as Zane just shrugged off his actions. He had known for some time there was something off about this boy, something dark creeping into his heart, but he hadn't known it was that bad. He was talking about murder like it was the weather. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"You're dead set on this, aren't you?" Jace asked, watching Zane's confidence soar. The boy nodded and Jace sighed. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "The second, the instant you think you can't handle this, if you make any powerful enemies or you do something you know for a fact is wrong, you tell me. Now I can't judge you, gods know I've done too much worth judging to be throwing stones… But I _will_ do everything I can help you get out of whatever trouble you've gotten into. But you need to tell me. Deal?"

Zane nodded, a smile creeping onto his face despite himself. "Deal."

"Good. Now let's go get your mother before she throws another fit," Jace said with a chuckle, rising to his feet. Zane came around the desk and before Jace could really register it, Zane was hugging him. He let out a little snort and wrapped his arms tightly around his son. "I'm sorry… For everything."

"After you explain everything to my mom, you better explain it to me," Zane muttered into his shoulder, sniffing away his tears. "I love you, Dad."

Jace stroked his son's hair, biting his lip as he nodded a little. "I love you too… Son."

* * *

After being thrown out of the room, it didn't take long for Chandra's anger to subside. Aelran was a nervous wreck when she walked out, going so far as to hide around the corner to try and escape her wrath. He didn't, and she managed to scare an explanation out of him. The 'hiking trips' that they'd been taking were the cover they used when there was a lot going on at the Consortium. Apparently they were having, as Aelran put it, staffing issues. Zane wanted to oversee the transition personally and hoped that his presence would satisfy any dissent in the ranks. It helped that his cool demeanor and unpredictable temper made him "scary as shit".

From what she could tell, Zane was very good at what he did. She was invited to speak to any of the staff that she wanted provided she didn't disturb their work. Despite how on edge everyone was (turns out she was louder than she thought) they spoke rather freely with her. At first she thought it was because they were afraid of her, but then one of them pointed out her pin. She had forgotten that she was still in her disguise, and realized that the symbol of the Sisterhood commanded more respect than she had imagined. They automatically trusted her, even before they knew that she was The Boss's mother.

Most of them spoke about how Zane had given them a good life and a place to belong. Others spoke about how he had saved them out of dungeons and death row for a second chance. Another told her how his family had lost everything due to war and corruption and the money he made there ensured they could live comfortably. Zane was fair and never asked more of them then they could handle. Every once in a while, though, there were those who helped themselves to some treasures, and that's when Zane would bring down the iron fist. Someone confessed to Chandra that the 'staffing issues' were because a group of people tried to stage a coup, forgetting that their boss could read minds. What was done to them wasn't a pretty sight, according to the eye witness reports Chandra got, but no one seemed scared or angry because of it. They all agreed that they had got what they deserved. It seemed Zane commanded not just respect, but the love and admiration of his people. That warmed her heart.

The biggest shock for Chandra came when she discovered how he was transporting goods across the planes when he was only one of two planeswalkers. The Sisterhood had developed a teleportation system millennia ago that allowed the non-planeswalker Sisters to get to Oracle. It was a clunky, old system that could only handle one person at a time, in one direction at a time, and took four people to operate besides the person traveling. Chandra knew it could be improved, but Zane had taken the technology and improved it far beyond what even Chandra had thought possible. The system took up the entire basement, and she watched in awe and people were coming and going with ease, bringing crates and other goods all over the planes. She also watched as a new comer landed and immediately hurled. The first time she used this system was when she was ten, and she remembered that feeling well.

As she wandered her way back towards the office, she took stock of all she had seen. Her son had a good heart, she'd known that for years, and she was sure he didn't start this out of some altruistic sense of helping people. He was too much like his father for that. But help people he did, and she admired him for that. Her parents were never supportive of the choices she'd made a child, and when Zane was born she sworn she'd never be like them. So she decided right then and there she'd do everything she could to help her son.

"You know, not even I kept Ravnica as my base of operations." She could hear Jace's voice from down the hall, so she scooted into a side alcove to listen in. If he'd somehow convinced Zane to shut down, she'd back him up. After all, parents divided spelled disaster. "I worked out of Vryn, believe it or not."

"I thought you hated Vryn," Zane asked, the confusion clear in his voice.

"I do. And that's why it was perfect. No one ever thought to look for me there. Ravnica's too populated to keep this place secrete for long."

"Yeah I know. We've had more than one drunk stumble through the door." The men passed Chandra's hiding spot and kept walking. "That's why Aelran put four different locks on the door. Two of them are hidden and the door's enchanted. You have to unlock the hidden ones first and then the visible ones. Do it the other way around, or just do the visible, and you walk into a ten by ten run down shack."

"That's brilliant. I wish I had thought of that."

It sounded like Jace was also behind their son, so Chandra pulled herself out of the alcove and ran up to them. Zane heard her long before she got close, and had frozen mid step. Jace stopped a few steps away and then turned in unison, identical nervous looks on their faces.

"I just want to go on record saying I think this is completely foolish," she started, half stomping her way over to them, "foolhardy, stupid, disastrous, and I think you're going to get yourself killed!" She stopped in front of her son, who winced and looked down at the ground. "And I could not be more proud of you." She pulled him into a tight hug, which he reciprocated in kind. "All these years I've been treating you like a little boy… I didn't realize you'd become a man."

"Oh Ma…" Zane muttered, clearly embarrassed and turning a little red. "I'll always be you're little boy, you know that."

"You better be!" she chuckled, pulling away from the hug and kissing his forehead. "Now, I think we should all go home and you can explain to Gideon and Liliana exactly what it is you're doing here."

"I can't go now," he said, gesturing broadly down to the foyer. "I've still got new people to train, and a huge shipment is coming in later that I need to oversee. Not to mention the fact that my office is _sound proof_ and the entire building heard you yelling at me. So I have to do damage control for what I suspect is now a shattered reputation."

"I wouldn't worry about your reputation around here, your people adore you," she said, rolling her eyes. "I _would_ be more worried about what your Auntie Lili is going to think when I tell her what you're doing." Zane looked down again, the red on his face growing all the way to his ears.

"Please don't tell her," Zane said quietly, shuffling around nervously. "She's gonna be a judgy and disappointed and she's gonna give me that glare when she gets angry but doesn't want to say anything."

Jace and Chandra both shuddered a little. They knew that look very well.

"Were you not worried about ME being judgy and disappointed?" Chandra asked, arching an eyebrow at him as she crossed her arms. Zane gulped audibly.

"No I knew you were gonna be upset but I upset you all the time." Zane gave her a snarky smile and she shook her head. "But my point stands. I can't leave right now. But I'll be home as soon as I can, I promise. I need like three more days, max."

Jace clapped a hand on Zane's shoulder and gave it a squeeze that was just short of threatening. "If you're not home in three days then I will come back here and drag you out by your thumbs." Zane took another audible gulp and nodded. He fully believed his father's threat.

* * *

The ride back to the city was just as tense as the ride down, if not more so. Jace did his best to formulate his thoughts but found himself lacking every time. He couldn't properly phrase his confession, couldn't figure out where to start, or if he should just keep lying. It was driving him mad, and kept him quite the entire journey.

Chandra was tense for another reason. Gideon spent the entire first day yammering about how irresponsible it was to leave Zane to run his business. He spent the second day chastising her for getting involved with Jace again. She'd put up with the first couple of hours, but by midday she had torched him off his horse and sent the poor beast bolting, forcing him to walk back. Chandra had taken the chance to race ahead and Jace had unconsciously followed close behind. They'd lost sight of him quickly, and all too soon they were stabling their horses and walking back into Gatewatch HQ.

Thankfully no one else was there and as soon as the door was closed Jace had grabbed Chandra and pulled her into a deep kiss. He was stalling. He hadn't figured out how to tell her yet. He needed another day, another hour, _just one more minute please._

"So what did you want to tell me?" she asked, pulling out of his arms and dragging her bag along the floor. She didn't even have enough energy to lift it really, just enough to get it in her usual chair so she could take out what belonged down here. "Remember, you promised you'd tell me the second we got back."

He was out of time, and that made Jace panic. He looked around quickly for anything to distract her, just something that might give him more time. Nothing jumped out at him and he stood in silent shock as she turned to him with a warm smile. That smile that knocked the breath from his lungs more times than he cared to count. She trusted him, and he was about to prove just how unwise a decision that was.

"Well?" she prompted, sinking heavily into Liliana's chair. She pulled off her goggles and started running her fingers through her hair, just to detangle her curls a little so her brush didn't try to murder her later. "Come on, you've kept me in the dark for days. Just tell me already."

The familiar feeling of planeswalking started to tingle his spine and he had to squash it quickly. There was no running away from this. She was staring at him expectantly and he realized he had to make a choice. Tell the truth or keep lying. His brain raced. He couldn't decide. _Truth or consequences hurry up she's waiting!_

"I love you." It wasn't a lie, and he realized that as soon as the words passed his lips. It wasn't what he wanted to tell her, but it wasn't a lie.

The words hung heavily in the air between them as Chandra's fingers froze in her hair. They replayed a few times in her mind, just tumbling around over and over again. He'd fallen for her again. Her grandmother had told her once that to find a love like that was once in a lifetime. It was rare and beautiful and a thing to be treasured. That's what she had been waiting for, wasn't it? For that confirmation. For the knowledge that all her pining hadn't been a huge waste of time. This is what she wanted, right?

In that moment, the clouding around her heart lifted and she came to a startling realization.

No. It absolutely was not.

Slowly she let her hands drop and turned a gaze on him so furious that he actually took a step back. She stood, and he took another step back. The fear that crept into his eyes was satisfying, and it egged her on.

"God I wish you could remember what happened," she said with a dark chuckle, a smirk coming to her lips that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Because if you thought, after all that, that I could feel anything but contempt for you… than you're dumber than I realized."

She watched as his shoulders slumped, his posture turned to that of defeat, and the light in his eyes died. She watched his heart break and finally put into words what had been unclear to her.

Chandra _hated_ Jace, and nothing was going to change that.


End file.
